The ‘Star Wars’ Spin-Off Plot Has Been Revealed (Possibly, Maybe)

Ever since it was first revealed that director Gareth Edwards and screenwriter Gary Whitta were teaming up to make the first official ‘Star Wars’ spin-off movie, the internet has been ablaze with theories concerning what this thing could possibly be about. Now, an unconfirmed report from a reliable source claims to have discovered the plot of the 2016 film and if it’s true, fans of the saga are in for a real treat.

The news comes from the folks at Slashfilm, who emphasize that they could not confirm this scoop and to take it all with a grain of salt. Still, it should be noted that this is not a site known for publishing wantonly fake rumors, so there’s a definite possibility that this all true.

First all of all, the longstanding rumor that the first spin-off would focus on Boba Fett was half right. The rumored plot follows a group of bounty hunters who are hired by the Rebel Alliance to go on the deadliest mission of their careers: to steal the plans for the first Death Star. Yep, the movie would take place in the days and weeks before the events of the very first ‘Star Wars’ movie, showing exactly how the plans for the Empire's greatest weapon ended up in the hands of Princess Leia (and then R2-D2, and then Luke Skywalker) in the first place.

In short, the spin-off could be a heist movie starring a team of antiheroes whose actions in the name of profit ultimately trigger the events of the original film. That’s actually a really cool concept for a movie, especially since it will tie into the larger saga while being allowed to be its own thing. We’ve yet to see a movie that really focuses on the bounty hunters of the ‘Star Wars’ universe and getting to know the actual people underneath their cool costumes could prove interesting for any fan. Plus, you just know it would feature Boba Fett, which would give Edwards and Whitta the chance to retroactively justify the popularity of one of the series' most underutilized characters.

Slashfilm included a few other details that, once again, are not confirmed in any way. They say that the Millennium Falcon will make an appearance in the film, but Han Solo will not. Hmm. They also say that one of the main characters in the film will be first introduced in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ which would make him an old man during the events of J.J. Abrams' upcoming sequel, which is set 30 years after ‘Return of the Jedi.’ Hmm, again.

We‘re slightly baffled by the Falcon making an appearance in the film without Solo (that wouldn't fit into the timeline of the original films at all), but the second bit is intriguing. After all, there is one new character played by an older actor showing up in ‘The Force Awakens.’ Could Max von Sydow’s character, a junk dealer with cybernetic implants whose name and role in the film has not been revealed, be one of the bounty hunters at the center of the spin-off? If all of this is true, signs point to “Yeah, probably.”

It cannot be over emphasized: none of this is confirmed and it could all be junk made up by clever fans in a forum somewhere. And yet it all sounds promising! It directly correlates to the rumor that Edwards was making a Bob Fett movie and the fact that it directly ties into ‘The Force Awakens’ and the original trilogy mirrors Disney‘s stated goal of tying together all of the new movies together as closely as possible (you know, Marvel-style).

And now, we wait for official word. Since this is ‘Star Wars,’ we’re prepared to wait awhile.